UN projected the world's population to pass 7 billion The world's population is projected to pass 7 billion on Oct.

31 as it heads toward 10 billion or more by the end of the century, a new U.N. report said on May 4,2011. The report also predicted that the global population would be higher by mid-century than its last edition forecast two years ago, reaching 9.31 billion instead of 9.15 billion. It attributed this to fewer deaths as well as more births than it had anticipated. The October date for reaching the 7 billion mark is based on calculations from current trends and Hania Zlotnik, head of the U.N. economic department's population division, said it should be taken "with a grain of salt." World Population Day 2010 World Population Day 2009 is on July 11, 2010. The theme of World Population Day 2010 is . Every One Counts . This is an annual event, which seeks to raise awareness about global population issues. This year s theme is about encouraging people to participate in their official census and other methods of collecting data on populations. The theme "Everyone Counts" highlights the compelling stories that numbers tell us about people. In Asia, when censuses and surveys identified sex-ratio imbalances and missing girls, governments responded, the media reported extensively on the disturbing trends and people were rallied to action. In Europe and other regions, policy debate heated up when data analysis examined the levels of replacement immigration needed to counteract declining and ageing populations.

The World population is estimated to be around 6.8 billion by end of June 2010 as against 5 billion in July 1987. At the current rate of growth in population, the number of people in the world is likely to reach 7 billion by October 2012, according to analysts. The population in India has increased more than three times from 350 million in 1947 to 1.15 billion in 2010. World Population Day 2009 World Population Day 2009 was observed on July 11, 2009. The theme for the year 2009 was , Fight Poverty: Educate Girls is a serious reminder that the future of the world s well being depends on educating and empowering women. Several studies have shown that investments in health and education for women and girls are linked to increase in productivity and national income. Moreover, women are generally observed to be economic agents for productivity because they invest their earnings however meagre, in the health and education of their children.

World Population Day History About 40 years ago world leaders declared July 11 as World Population Day, upholding the basic human right of individuals to freely and responsibly decide the number and timing of their children. Instituted in 1989 as an offshoot of the Day of Five Billion dated July 11, 1987, the United Nations earmarked World Population Day to increase world awareness of population issues. Importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, sexual and reproductive health and human rights are some population- related issues that have a serious impact on the world s development and environment. Awareness to tackle population World Population Day invites attention on the immediacy and importance of population related issues, with the view to formulate development plans and programs and find solutions to these issues. However critical the global financial meltdown is, nations cannot ignore funding for education especially women s education, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and the prevention and control of epidemics and a host of other population-related factors. The UNFPA has laid down certain priorities to tackle population related issues in a world that is reeling under a financial crunch. Address the urgent need for family planning as it directly impacts cost savings in the health sector, in promoting maternal health, neonatal and child health Stress the need to prevent teenage pregnancy and unwanted pregnancy, which can affect women s health and lead to unsafe abortions Since statistics prove that maternal mortality has a negative effect on GDP, at least consider the significant economic returns brought in by investments in maternal health even if you don t care much for womenfolk

World Population The table that follows shows world human population in millions, in 50-year intervals, since the year 1750. Year Population

1750......790 million

1800......980 million 1850...1,260 million 1900...1,650 million 1950...2,555 million 2000...6,080 million 2009...6,200 million (data from United Nations and Bureau of Census) Just in the last 10-year period from 1990 to 2000, the increase for that period is 796 million. This is an average increase of 79.6 million per year - or about 218,000 per day, 9,100 per hour, 150 per minute. World Population Problems The more recent "explosive" growth, which causes serious world population problems and environmental problems, is due to much more than just advances in agricultural technology. Among other factors is the decrease in the death rate due to advances in medicine and sanitation. Thousands, mostly children, starve to death every day in different places around the world. And just a few of the consequent environmental problems: Forests everywhere are "disappearing." The global unpolluted fresh water supply is in danger. Air in most big cities is becoming increasingly unhealthy.

Initiatives To Check Population Growth in India In pursuance of the National Population Policy, the Government had set up National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Jansankya Sthirata Kosh (JSK) to check the growth of population. The aims and objectives include encouragement of Fixed day, Fixed Place Family Planning Services round the year through 24X7 Primary Health Centres and other facilities under the Health Mission, carefully introducing new and effective contraceptives in the programme, increase in the compensation package for sterilization. Also a National Family Planning Insurance Scheme was also started since November 2005 to compensate the sterilization acceptors for failures, complications and deaths. With a view to achieve good health for people, especially the poor and the underprivileged, the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) aims at reducing the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to one per one thousand live births, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to 28 per one thousand live births and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1.

Top countries population The 16 countries with the largest total population

Country / Territory 1. China

Population

Date

% of world population

(excluding Hong Kong and Macau)

1,329,740,000 March 25, 2009 19.66%

2. India 1,145,174,000 March 3, 2009 16.94% 3.United States 4.Indonesia 5.Brazil 6.Pakistan 7.Bangladesh 8.Nigeria 9.Russia 10.Japan 11.Mexico 12.Philippines 13.Vietnam 14.Germany 15.Ethiopia 16.Egypt 305,924,270 March 2, 2009 229,631,355 March 3, 2009 190,765,170 March 3, 2009 166,137,500 April 15, 2009 155,688,660 March 2, 2009 148,235,170 UN estimate 141,849,333 March 3, 2009 127,170,110 March 2, 2009 111,077,375 March 2, 2009 93,843,460 March 2, 2009 86,709,095 March 2, 2009 82,060,000 December 2008 79,221,000 July 2008 75,973,137 March 3, 2009 1.18% 1.12% 4.53% 3.4% 2.82% 2.45% 2.3% 2.19% 2.1% 1.88% 1.64% 1.39% 1.28% 1.21%

Source: Counties Population clock, Statistics Bureau

Population in India

India is the second largest country in population after China. According to the India Population clock its population on March 3, 2009 was 1,145,174,000 that is nearly 16.94% of world population. Even the population of Indian states are more than some countries. The population in India has increased more than three times from 350 million in 1947 to 1.15 billion in 2010. As per Report of the Working Group on Population Stabilization 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012), Indian population is expected to overtake that of China by the year 2030 and the country will be the largest in the world with an estimated population of around 1.53 billion. The population of Indian states in comparison with some countries of world

Indian states

Population (In crores) 18.70

Some Countries

Population (In crores)

Uttar Pradesh 18.30 Brazil Maharastra. Bihar . 9.0

10.40 Mexico 10.40 Germany 8.50 Vietnam 8.0 Philippines 8.30 8.50 8.0 6.30

West Bengal. Andra Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Tamil Nadu. .Rajasthan Gujarat Punjab Hariyana Chattishgarh Delhi

6.60 Thailand 6.50 France 6.10 6.20 Italy 5.90 4.70

5.50 South Africa 2.60 Peru 2.60

2.30 Romania 2.20 Ghana 2.20 1.40 1.10 Belgium 0.90 Austria 0.80

2.20

1.60 Columbia

Jammu-Kashmir Uttrakhand

1.0

Source: UN Population Prospectus 2006

World population
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World population from 1800 to 2100, based on UN 2004 projections (red, orange, green) and US Census Bureau historical estimates (black).

The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth, currently estimated to be 6.93 billion by the United States Census Bureau.[1] The world population has experienced continuous growthsince the end of the Bubonic Plague, Great Famine and Hundred Years Wars in 1350, when it was about 300 million.[2] The highest rates of growthincreases above 1.8% per yearwere seen briefly during the 1950s, for a longer period during the 1960s and 1970s; the growth rate peaked at 2.2% in 1963, and declined to 1.1% by 2009. Annual births have reduced to 140 million since their peak at 173 million in the late 1990s, and are expected to remain constant, while deaths number 57 million per year and are expected to increase to 80 million per year by 2040. Current projections show a continued increase of population (but a steady decline in the population growth rate) with the population to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion by the year 2050.[3][4][5]
Contents
[hide]

1 Population by region 2 Milestones by the billions

2.1 Regional billion milestones

3 History

o o

3.1 Antiquity and Middle Ages 3.2 Modern era

4 Overpopulation

4.1 Human population control

5 Largest populations by country 6 Most densely populated countries 7 Growth

o o

7.1 Forecast 7.2 Population by region

8 World population by continent (2011) 9 Mathematical approximations

9.1 Years for world population to double

10 Demographics

o o o

10.1 Ethnicity 10.2 Youth 10.3 General

11 Forecasts of scarcity 12 Number of humans who have ever lived 13 United Nations and world population 14 See also 15 Further resources 16 References 17 External links

[edit]Population

by region

Population statistics for 6 continents and 10 countries

Asia accounts for over 60% of the world population with more than 4 billion people. China and India together have about 37 percent of the world's population. Africa follows with 1 billion people, 15% of the world's population. Europe's 733 million people make up 11% of the world's population. Latin America and the Caribbean region is home to 589 million (9%), Northern America is to 352 million (5%) and Oceania to 35 million ( 0.5 %).[6]

[edit]Milestones

by the billions

World population estimates milestones

Population
(in billions)

Year

1804 1927 1960 1974 1987 1999 2012

2025- 2045

30

50

Years elapsed

123

33

14

13

12

12 14-20 1525

It is estimated that the population of the world reached one billion in 1804, two billion in 1927, three billion in 1960, four billion in 1974, five billion in 1987, and six billion in 1999. It is projected to reach seven billion in October 2011, and around eight billion by 20252030. By 20452050, the world's population is currently projected to reach around nine billion, with alternative scenarios ranging from 7.4 billion to 10.6 billion.[7][8][9][10][11] Projected figures vary depending on such things as the underlying assumptions and which variables are manipulated in projection calculations, especially the fertility variable. Such variations give longrange predictions to 2150, ranging from population decline to 3.2 billion in the 'low scenario', to high scenarios of 24.8 billion, or soaring to 256 billion assuming fertility remains at 1995 levels.[12] There is no estimation on the exact day or month the world's population surpassed both the one and two billion marks. The day of three and four billion were not officially noted, but the International Database of the United States Census Bureau places them in July 1959 and April 1974. The United Nations did determine, and celebrate, the "Day of 5 Billion" (11 July 1987), and the "Day of 6 Billion" (12 October 1999). The International Programs division of the United States Census Bureau estimated that the world reached six billion on 21 April 1999 (several months earlier than the official United Nations day). The "Day of 7 Billion" has been targeted by the United States Census Bureau to be in July 2012,[13]while the Population Division of the United Nations suggests 26 August 2011.[14]

[edit]Regional

billion milestones

Regionally, the first region to hit a billion people was the Northern Hemisphere, followed shortly by the Eastern Hemisphere, not too long after the world hit a billion.[citation needed] Next in coming was Asia, then East Asia and South Asia, followed by China in 1980, India in 1999, Western Hemisphere in 2000s and Africa in 2010. The next billion people milestones expected by demographers are the Americas, with a current population of around 920 million, the Southern Hemisphere and Subsaharan Africa with each around 850 million people. It is not known if the current next contenders, Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America in that order, will ever surpass 1 billion people. As for 2, 3, and 4 billion, only the Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, and Asia have surpassed these figures.

[edit]History
Further information: World population estimates and History of the world

[edit]Antiquity

and Middle Ages

A dramatic population bottleneck is theorized for the period around 70,000 BC (see Toba catastrophe theory). After this time and until the development of agriculture, it is estimated that the world population stabilized at about one million people whose subsistence entailed hunting and foraging, a lifestyle that by its nature ensured a low population density. The total world population probably never exceeded 15 million inhabitants before the invention of agriculture.[15] By contrast, it is estimated that more than 55 million people lived in the combined eastern and western Roman Empire (AD 300400).[16] The Plague of Justinian caused Europe's population to drop by around 50% between 541 and the 8th century.[17] The population of Europe was more than 70 million in 1340.[18] TheBlack Death pandemic in the 14th century may have reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400.[19] It took roughly 200 years for Europe's population to regain its 1340 level.[20] China experienced a population decline from an estimated 123 million around 1200 to an estimated 65 million in 1393,[21] which was presumably due to a combination of Mongol invasions and plague.[22] William McNeill clearly states that China's population decline is better explained by bubonic plague than by Mongol ferocity.[citation needed] At the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, China's population was reported to be close to 60 million, and toward the end of the dynasty in 1644 it might have approached 150 million.[23][24] England's population reached an estimated 5.6 million in 1650, up from an estimated 2.6 million in 1500.[25] New crops that had come to Asia and Europe from the Americas via the Spanish colonizers in the 16th century contributed to the population growth.[26][27] Since being introduced by Portuguese traders in the 16th century,[28] maize andmanioc have replaced traditional African crops as the continents most important staple food crops.[29] Alfred W. Crosby speculated that increased production of maize, manioc, and other American crops "...enabled the slave traders [who] drew many, perhaps most, of their cargoes from the rain forest areas, precisely those areas where American crops enabled heavier settlement than before."[30] The population of the Americas in 1500 may have been between 50 and 100 million.[31] The preColumbian North American population probably numbered somewhere between 2 million and 18 million.[32] Encounters between European explorers and populations in the rest of the world often introduced local epidemics of extraordinary virulence.[33] Archaeological evidence indicates that the death of around 90% of the Native American population of the New World was caused by Old World diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza.[34] Over the centuries, the Europeans had developed high degrees of immunity to these diseases, while the indigenous peoples had no such immunity.[35]

[edit]Modern

era

Urban areas with at least one million inhabitants in 2006. 3% of the world's population lived in cities in 1800, rising to 47% at the end of the twentieth century.

During the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, the life expectancy of children increased dramatically.[36] The percentage of the children born in London who died before the age of five decreased from 74.5% in 1730-1749 to 31.8% in 1810-1829.[37][38] Europes population increased from about 100 million in 1700 to 400 million by 1900.[39] Altogether, the areas of European settlement comprised 36% of the world's population in 1900.[40] The population growth became more rapid after the introduction of compulsory vaccination and improvements inmedicine and sanitation.[41][42][43] As living conditions and health care improved during the 19th century, theUnited Kingdom's population doubled every fifty years.[44] By 1801 the population of England had grown to 8.3 million, and by 1901 had grown to 30.5 million.[45] The first fifty years of the 20th century in Russia and the Soviet Union were marked by a succession of disasters, each accompanied by largescale population losses.[46] By 1945, therefore, the population was about 90 million less than it could have been otherwise.[47] The population of the Indian subcontinent, which stood at about 125 million in 1750, had reached 389 million by 1941.[48] Today, the region is home to 1.18 billion people.[49] The total number of inhabitants of Java increased from about five million in 1815 to more than 130 million in the early 21st century.[50] Mexico's population has grown from 13.6 million in 1900 to about 112 million in 2009.[51] In eighty years, Kenya's population has grown from 2.9 million to 37 million.[52]

[edit]Overpopulation
Main article: Overpopulation The scientific consensus is that the current population expansion and accompanying increase in usage of resources is linked to threats to the ecosystem.[53][54] The InterAcademy Panel Statement on Population Growth, which was ratified by 58 member national academies in 1994, called the growth in human numbers "unprecedented", and stated that many environmental problems, such as rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming, and pollution, were aggravated by the population expansion.[55] At the time, the world

population stood at 5.5 billion, and lower-bound scenarios predicted a peak of 7.8 billion by 2050, a number that current estimates show will be reached around 2030.[56]

[edit]Human

population control

Main article: Human population control Human population control is the practice of artificially altering the rate of growth of a human population. Historically, human population control has been implemented by limiting the population's birth rate, by contraception or by government mandate, and has been undertaken as a response to factors including high or increasing levels of poverty, environmental concerns, religious reasons, and overpopulation.

[edit]Largest

populations by country

Further information: List of countries by population

Map of countries by total population.

The 10 countries with the largest total population: % of world population

Rank

Country / Territory People's Republic of China[57] India United States Indonesia Brazil Pakistan Bangladesh

Population 1,344,900,000 1,210,193,422 311,671,000 238,400,000 194,882,000 176,506,000 164,425,000

Date July 2, 2011 March 2011 July 2, 2011 May 2010 February 2, 2011 July 2, 2011 2010

Source

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

19.4% 17% 4.5% 3.38% 2.81% 2.55% 2.37%

Chinese Official Population Clock Census of India Organisation United States Official Population Clock SuluhNusantara Indonesia Census report Brazilian Official Population Clock
Official Pakistani Population Clock

2008 UN estimate for year 2010

8 9 10

Nigeria Russia Japan

158,259,000 141,927,297 127,380,000

2010 January 1, 2010 June 1, 2010

2.28% 2.05% 1.84%

2008 UN estimate for year 2010 Federal State Statistics Service of Russia Official Japan Statistics Bureau

Approximately 4.03 billion people live in these ten countries, representing 58.7% of the world's population as of November 2010.

[edit]Most

densely populated countries

Population density (people per km2) map of the world in 1994.

Further information: List of countries and dependencies by population density

The 10 most densely populated countries (with population above 1 million) Area (km2) 707.1 147,570 2040 6,020 36,190 99538 10452 41,526 26338 20770 Density (Pop per km2) 6,535 1,069 631 702 634 487 404 402 380 371
[60] [59][61] [59] [62] [59] [63] [58] [59]

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Country/Region Singapore Bangladesh Mauritius

Population 5,076,700 157,813,124 1,288,000

Notes

Palestinian territories 4,223,760 Taiwan South Korea Lebanon Netherlands Rwanda Israel 22,955,395 48,456,369 4,224,000 16,680,000 9,998,000 7,697,600

Countries ranking in the top both in terms of total population (more than 15 million people)and population density (more than 250 people per square kilometer): Area (km2) 3,287,240 143,998 377,873 300,076 331,689 243,610 99,538 35,980 65,610 41,526 Density (Pop. per km2) 365 1,069 337 313 259 255 493 639 309 402

Country India Bangladesh Japan Philippines Vietnam United Kingdom South Korea Taiwan Sri Lanka Netherlands [edit]Growth

Population 1,199,870,000 157,813,124 127,170,110 94,013,200 85,789,573 62,041,708 49,354,980 22,955,395 20,238,000 16,680,000

Notes Growing country Fast growing country Declining in population Fast growing country Growing country Steady in population Steady in population Steady in population Growing country Steady in population

Main article: Population growth

Population evolution in different continents. The vertical axis is logarithmic and is millions of people.

Different regions have different rates of population growth. According to the above table, the growth in population of the different regions from 2000 to 2005 was: 237.771 million in Asia 92.293 million in Africa

38.052 million in Latin America 16.241 million in Northern America 3.264 million in Europe 1.955 million in Oceania 383.047 million in the whole world In the 20th century, the world saw the biggest increase in its population in human history due to lessening of the mortality rate in many countries due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity attributed to the Green Revolution.[64][65][66] In 2000, the United Nations estimated that the world's population was growing at the rate of 1.14% (or about seventy-five million people) per year,[67] down from a peak of eighty-eight million per year in 1989. In the last few centuries, the number of people living on Earth has increased many times over. By 2000, there were ten times as many people on Earth as there were three hundred years ago. According to data from the CIA's 20052006 World Factbooks, the world human population increased by an average of 203,800 people every day.[68] The CIA Factbook increased this to 211,090 people every day in 2007, and again to 220,980 people every day in 2009.

A world map showing countries by fertility rate, 2005-2010. [citation needed] 7-8 Children 6-7 Children 5-6 Children 4-5 Children 3-4 Children 2-3 Children 1-2 Children 0-1 Children

Globally, the population growth rate has been steadily declining from its peak of 2.19% in 1963, but growth remains high in Latin America, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.[69] In some countries there is negative population growth (i.e. net decrease in population over time), especially in Central and Eastern Europe (mainly due to low fertility rates). Within the next decade, Japan and some countries in Western Europe are also expected to encounter negative population growth due to subreplacement fertility rates. In 2006, the United Nations stated that the rate of population growth is diminishing due to thedemographic transition. If this trend continues, the rate of growth may diminish to zero, concurrent with a world population plateau of 9.2 billion, in 2050.[70] However, this is only one of many estimates published by the UN. In 2009, UN projections for 2050 range from about 8 billion to 10.5 billion.[71]

Population (est.) 10,000 BCAD 2000.

Population (est.) 10,000 BCAD 2000 in log y scale

World population 19502000

Increase rate 19502000

[edit]Forecast
Main article: World population estimates See also: Overpopulation

UN (medium variant, 2010 rev.) and US Census Bureau (December 2010) estimates[72][73]

Year

UN est (millions)

Diff.

US est (millions)

Diff.

2000

6,123

6,090

2010

6,896

773

6,852

763

2020

7,657

761

7,593

740

2030

8,321

665

8,249

656

2040

8,874

553

8,801

552

2050

9,306

432

9,256

456

In the long run, the future population growth of the world is difficult to predict and the UN and US Census Bureau give different estimates. According to the latter, world population will hit seven billion in July 2012[74] or by late 2011, according to UN prediction.[5]

Birth rates are declining slightly on average, but vary greatly between developed countries (where birth rates are often at or below replacement levels), developing countries, and different ethnicities. Death rates can change unexpectedly due to disease, wars and catastrophes, oradvances in medicine. The UN has issued multiple projections of future world population, based on different assumptions. Over the last ten years, the UN has consistently revised these projections downward, until the 2006 revision issued March 14, 2007 revised the 2050 mid-range estimate upwards by 273 million. In some scenarios, disasters triggered by the growing population's demand for scarce resources will eventually lead to a sudden population crash, or even a Malthusian catastrophe (also see overpopulation and food security).
UN 2008 estimates and medium variant projections (in millions).[75]

Year World

Asia

Africa

Europe

Latin America

Northern America

Oceania

2000

6,115

3,698 (60.5%)

819 727 (13.4%) (11.9%)

521 (8.5%)

319 (5.2%)

31 (0.5%)

2005

6,512

3,937 (60.5%)

921 729 (14.1%) (11.2%)

557 (8.6%)

335 (5.1%)

34 (0.5%)

2010

6,909

4,167 (60.3%)

1,033 733 (15.0%) (10.6%)

589 (8.5%)

352 (5.1%)

36 (0.5%)

2015

7,302

4,391 (60.1%)

1,153 734 (15.8%) (10.1%)

618 (8.5%)

368 (5.0%)

38 (0.5%)

2020

7,675

4,596 (59.9%)

1,276 (16.6%)

733 (9.6%)

646 (8.4%)

383 (5.0%)

40 (0.5%)

2025

8,012

4,773 (59.6%)

1,400 (17.5%)

729 (9.1%)

670 (8.4%)

398 (5.0%)

43 (0.5%)

2030

8,309

4,917 (59.2%)

1,524 (18.3%)

723 (8.7%)

690 (8.3%)

410 (4.9%)

45 (0.5%)

2035

8,571

5,032 (58.7%)

1,647 (19.2%)

716 (8.4%)

706 (8.2%)

421 (4.9%)

46 (0.5%)

2040

8,801

5,125 (58.2%)

1,770 (20.1%)

708 (8.0%)

718 (8.2%)

431 (4.9%)

48 (0.5%)

2045

8,996

5,193 (57.7%)

1,887 (21.0%)

700 (7.8%)

726 (8.1%)

440 (4.9%)

50 (0.6%)

2050

9,150

5,231 (57.2%)

1,998 (21.8%)

691 (7.6%)

729 (8.0%)

448 (4.9%)

51 (0.6%)

[edit]Population

by region

Below is a table with historical and predicted population figures shown in millions.[75][76][77][78] The availability of historical population figures varies by region.
World historical and predicted populations (in millions)[79][80][citation needed] 150 160 170 175 180 185 190 195 199 200 205 215 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 8 0 0 458 580 682 791 978 1,26 1,65 2,52 5,97 6,70 8,90 9,74 2 0 1 8 7 9 6 1,76 2,30 6 8

Region World Africa Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean[
Note 1]

86 114 106 106 107 111 133 221 767 973 243 339 436 502 635 809 947

1,40 3,63 4,05 5,26 5,56 2 4 4 8 1

84 111 125 163 203 276 408 547 729 732 628 517

39

10

10

16

24

38

74 167 511 577 809 912

Northern America[Not
e 1]

26

82 172 307 337 392 398

Oceania

13

30

34

46

51

World historical and predicted populations by percentage distribution [79][80][citation needed] 150 160 170 175 180 185 190 195 199 200 205 215 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 8 0 0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 18.8 19.7 15.5 13.4 10.9 8.8 8.1 8.8 12.8 14.5 19.8 23.7

Region World Africa Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean[N
ote 1]

53.1 58.4 63.9 63.5 64.9 64.1 57.4 55.6 60.8 60.4 59.1 57.1 18.3 19.1 18.3 20.6 20.8 21.9 24.7 21.7 12.2 10.9 7.0 5.3

8.5

1.7

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

4.5

6.6

8.5

8.6

9.1

9.4

Northern America[Note
1]

0.7 0.7

0.5 0.5

0.3 0.4

0.3 0.3

0.7 0.2

2.1 0.2

5.0 0.4

6.8 0.5

5.1 0.5

5.0 0.5

4.4 0.5

4.1 0.5

Oceania

Estimated world population at various dates (in millions)[citation needed]

Latin Northern Year World Africa Asia Europe America[Note Oceania Notes America 1]

70,000 BC

< 0.015

[81]

10,000 BC

9000 BC

8000 BC

[82]

7000 BC

6000 BC

10

5000 BC

15

4000 BC

20

3000 BC

25

2000 BC

35

1000 BC

50

[82]

500 BC

100

[82]

AD 1

200

[83]

1000

310

1750

791

106

502

163

16

1800

978

107

635

203

24

1850

1,262

111

809

276

38

26

1900

1,650

133

947

408

74

82

1950

2,519

221 1,398

547

167

172

12.8

1955

2,756

247 1,542

575

191

187

14.3

1960

2,982

277 1,674

601

209

204

15.9

1965

3,335

314 1,899

634

250

219

17.6

1970

3,692

357 2,143

656

285

232

19.4

1975

4,068

408 2,397

675

322

243

21.5

1980

4,435

470 2,632

692

361

256

22.8

1985

4,831

542 2,887

706

401

269

24.7

1990

5,263

622 3,168

721

441

283

26.7

1995

5,674

707 3,430

727

481

299

28.9

2000

6,070

796 3,680

728

520

316

31.0

2005

6,454

888 3,917

725

558

332

32.9

2008

6,707

973 4,054

732

577

337

34.3

[4]

Year World Africa Asia Europe

Latin America

Northern Oceania Notes America

1.

a b c d e

Northern America comprises the northern-most

countries and territories of North America: Canada, the United States, Greenland, Bermuda, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. Latin America comprises Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

The figures for North America only refer to post-European contact settlers, and not native populations from before European settlement.

[edit]World

population by continent (2011)

Population (2011) Most populous country Most populous city

Density Contine (inhab./k nt name m2)

Asia

86.7

People's 4,140,336,50 Republic of Tokyo (37,730,0 1 inhab. China (1,341,403, 64 inhab.) 687 inhab.)

Africa

32.7

994,527,534 Nigeria (152,217, Cairo (19,439,54 inhab. 341 inhab.) 1 inhab.)

Europe

70

738,523,843 Russia (142,905, Moscow (14,837 inhab. 200 inhab.) ,510 inhab.)

North 22.9 America

United States Mexico 528,720,588 of City (21,163,226 inhab. America (308,745 inhab.) ,538 inhab.)

South 21.4 America

So 385,742,554 Brazil (190,732,6 Paulo (19,672,58 inhab. 94 inhab.) 2 inhab.)

Oceania 4.25

36,102,071 inhab.

Australia (22,612 Sydney (4,575,53 2 inhab.) ,355 inhab.)

Antarcti 0 ca

3,687 inhab. Antarctica (3,687 (nonpermane No cities inhab., nt) nonpermanent)

[edit]Mathematical

approximations

Hoerner (1975) proposed a formula for population growth[85] which represented hyperbolic growth with an infinite population in 2025. According to Kapitsa (1997),[86] the world population grew between 67,000 BC and 1965 according to the formula:

where N is current population T is the current year C = (1.86 0.01)1011 T0 = 2007 1 = 42 1

    

The transition from hyperbolic to slower rates of growth is related to the demographic transition.

[edit]Years

Using linear interpolation of the UNDESA estimates, the world population has been doubled or will double in the following years (with two different starting points). Note how, during the2nd millennium, each doubling took roughly half as long as the previous doubling, fitting the hyperbolic growth model mentioned above. However, it is unlikely that there will be another doubling in the current century.[87]

for world population to double

Years for Population to Double

Starting at 500 million

Population
(in billions)

0.5

Year

1500 1804 1927 1974 2025

Years elapsed 304 123

47

51

Starting at 375 million

Population
(in billions)

0.375 0.75 1.5

Year

1171 1715 1881 1960 1999

Years elapsed 544

166

79

39

[edit]Demographics [edit]Ethnicity
Main articles: Race (classification of humans) and Lists of ethnic groups The world is made up of thousands of ethnic groups. Han Chinese represent about 19% of the global population.[88]

[edit]Youth
Main articles: Population pyramid and List of countries by median age

Median age by country. A youth bulge is evident for Africa, and to a lesser extent for South and Southeast Asia and Central America.

According to the 2006 CIA World Factbook, around 27% of the world's population is below 15 years of age.[89]

[edit]General
Before adding mortality rates, the 1990s saw the greatest absolute number of births worldwide, especially in the years after 1995, despite the fact that the birth rate was not as high as in the 1960s. In fact, because of the 163 million-per-year births after 1995, the time it took to reach the next billion reached its fastest pace (only twelve years), as world population reached six billion people in 1999; at the beginning of the decade, this figure was only expected to be met in 2000, at the earliest, by most demographers. 19851990 marked the period with the fastest yearly population change in world history. Even though the early 1960s had a greater growth rate than in the mid and late 1980s, the population change hovered around eighty-three million people in the fiveyear period, with an all-time record change of nearly eighty-eight million in 1990. The reason is that the world's population being around 5 billion in the mid- and late-1980s, compared to around 3 billion in the early 1960s, meant that the growth rate (which is a percentage) was not the major factor in the dramatic absolute increase in population.

[edit]Forecasts

of scarcity

In 1798, Thomas Malthus incorrectly predicted that population growth would out-run food supply by the mid-19th century. In 1968, Paul R. Ehrlich reprised this argument in The Population Bomb, predicting famine in the 1970s and 1980s. The dire predictions of Ehrlich and other neo-Malthusians were vigorously challenged by a number of economists, notablyJulian Lincoln Simon. Agricultural research already under way, such as the Green Revolution, led to dramatic improvements in crop yields. Food production has kept pace with population growth, but Malthusians point out the green revolution relies heavily on petroleum-based fertilizers, and that many crops have become so genetically uniform that a crop failure would be very[clarification needed] widespread. Food prices in the early 21st century are rising sharply on a global scale, and causing serious malnutrition to spread widely.[90] From 1950 to 1984, as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the world, grain production increased by over 250%.[91] The world population has grown by about four billion since the beginning of the Green Revolution and most believe that, without the Revolution, there would be greater famine and malnutrition than the UN presently documents (approximately 850 million people suffering from chronic malnutrition in 2005).[92] The energy for the Green Revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas),pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbonfueled irrigation.[93] The peaking of world oil production (Peak oil) may test Malthus and Ehrlich critics.[94][95] As of May 2008, the price of grain had been pushed up by increased farming for use inbiofuels,[96] world oil prices at over $140 per barrel ($880/m3),[97] global population growth,[98] climate change,[99] loss of agricultural land to residential and industrial development,[100][101] and growing consumer demand in China and India.[102][103] Food riots have recently occurred in some countries across the world.[104][105] However, oil prices then

fell sharply, and remained below $100/barrel for about two years before rising again. Resource demands are expected to ease as population growth declines, but it is unclear whether rising living standards in developing countries will once again create resource shortages. Richard C. Duncan claims the "world population will decline to about 2 billion circa 2050."[106] David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell University, estimates that the sustainable agricultural carrying capacity for the United States is about 200 million people.[107] Growing populations, falling energy sources and food shortages will create the "perfect storm" by 2030, the UK government chief scientist has warned. He said food reserves are at a fifty-year low but the world will require 50% more energy, food and water by 2030.[108][109]The world will have to produce 70% more food by 2050 to feed a projected extra 2.3 billion people and as incomes rise, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.[110] The observed figures for 2007 show an actual increase in absolute numbers of undernourished people in the world, 923 million in 2007 versus 832 million in 1995.;[111] the more recent FAO estimates point out to an even more dramatic increase, to 1.02 billion in 2009.[112]

[edit]Number

of humans who have ever

lived
Further information: Paleodemography Estimates of "the total number of people who have ever lived" published in the first decade of the 21st century range approximately from 100 to 115 billion (1 E11). An estimate of the total number of people who have ever lived was prepared by Carl Haub of the Population Reference Bureau in 1995 and subsequently updated in 2002; the updated figure was approximately 106 billion.[113][114] Haub characterized this figure as an estimate that required "selecting population sizes

for different points from antiquity to the present and applying assumed birth rates to each period".[114] Given an estimated global population of 6.2 billion in 2002, it could be inferred that about 6% of all people who had ever existed were alive in 2002.[113] In the 1970s there was a belief that 75% of all the people who had ever lived were alive in the 1970s, which would have put the total number of people who ever lived as of the 1970s as less than the number of people alive today. This view was eventually debunked.[115] The number is difficult to estimate for the following reasons: The set of specific characteristics that define a human is a matter of definition, and it is open to debate which members of early Homo sapiens and earlier or related species of Homoto include. See in this regard also Sorites paradox. Even if the scientific community reached wide consensus regarding which characteristics distinguished human beings, it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint the time of their first appearance to even the nearest millennium because the fossil record is simply too sparse. However, the limited size of population in early times compared to its recent size makes this source of uncertainty of limited importance.

Robust statistical data only exist for the last two or three centuries. Until the late 18th century, few governments had ever performed an accurate census. In many early attempts, such as Ancient Egypt and in the Persian Empire the focus was on counting merely a subset of the people for purposes of taxation or military service.[116] All claims of population sizes preceding the 18th century are estimates, and thus the margin of error for the total number of humans who have ever lived should be in the billions, or even tens of billions of people.

A critical item for the estimation is life expectancy. Using a figure of twenty years and the population estimates above,

one can compute about fifty-eight billion. Using a figure of forty yields half of that. Life expectancy varies greatly when taking into account children who died within the first year of birth, a number very difficult to estimate for earlier times. Haub states that "life expectancy at birth probably averaged only about ten years for most of human history"[114] His estimates for infant mortality suggest that around 40% of those who have ever lived did not survive beyond one year.

[edit]United

Nations and world population

Entities with competencies about population in the United Nations : Commission on Population and Development United Nations Population Division United Nations Population Fund
This section requires expansion.

  

[edit]See         

also

Birth control Demographic transition Depopulation Doomsday argument Family planning Food security Green Revolution Megacity Coastal Population

Historical:

   

Historical demography Classical demography Medieval demography National Commission for the Observance of World Population Year 1974

The Day of Six Billion

Lists:

     

List of religious populations List of countries by past and future population List of countries by population List of countries by population density List of countries by population growth rate List of countries by fertility rate

[edit]Further

resources

There is a map that is rescaled in order to display every country according to its population size. It is available at the University of Sheffield Worldmapper.[117]

Population patterns and trends can be explored on the GeoHive interactive world atlas.[118]

Detailed maps of population distribution across sub-Saharan Africa are available through The AfriPop Project.[119]

Trends in country population and other statistics can be interactively graphed using Trendalyzer[120].

Birth control education

Many teenagers, most commonly in developed countries, receive some form of sex education in school. What information should be provided in such programs is hotly contested, especially in the United States and United Kingdom. Topics include reproductive anatomy, human sexual behavior, information on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), social aspects of sexual interaction, negotiating skills intended to help teens follow through with a decision to remain abstinent or to use birth control during sex, and information on birth control methods. One type of sex education program used in some more conservative areas of the United States is called abstinence-only education, and it generally promotes complete sexual abstinence until marriage. The programs do not encourage birth control, often provide inaccurate information about contraceptives and sexuality,[75] stress failure rates of condoms and other contraceptives, and teach strategies for avoiding sexually intimate situations. Advocates of abstinence-only education believe that the programs will result in decreased rates of teenage pregnancy and STD infection. In a non-random, Internet survey of 1,400 women who found and completed a 10-minute multiple-choice online questionnaire listed in one of several popular search engines, women who received sex education from schools providing primarily abstinence information, or contraception and abstinence information equally, reported fewer unplanned pregnancies than those who received primarily contraceptive information, who in turn reported fewer unplanned pregnancies than those who received no information.[76]However, randomized controlled trials demonstrate that abstinence-only sex education programs increase the rates of pregnancy and STDs in the teenage population.[77][78] Professional medical organizations, including the AMA, AAP, ACOG, APHA, APA, and Society for Adolescent Medicine, support comprehensive sex education (providing abstinence and contraceptive information) and oppose the sole use of abstinenceonly sex education.[79][80]

One-child policy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Government sign in Tang Shan: "For a prosperous, powerful nation and a happy family, please practise family planning."

The one-child policy (simplified Chinese:

; traditional Chinese:

; pinyin: jhu

sh ngy zhngc; literally "policy of birth planning") refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy.[1] It officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child, although it allows exemptions for several cases, including rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without any siblings themselves.[2] A spokesperson of the Committee on the One-Child Policy has said that approximately 35.9% of China's population is currently subject to the one-child restriction.[3] The Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are completely exempt from the policy. Also exempt from this law are foreigners living in China. The policy was introduced in 1978 and initially applied to first-born children in the year of 1979. It was created by the Chinese government to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems in China,[4] and authorities claim that the policy has prevented between 250 and 300 million births from its implementation until 2000,[2] and 400 million births from 1979 to 2011. The policy is controversial both within and outside China because of the manner in which the policy has been implemented, and because of concerns about negative social consequences.[5] The policy has been implicated in an increase in forced abortions,[6] female infanticide, and underreporting[7] of female births, and has been suggested as a possible cause behind China's gender imbalance. Nonetheless, a 2008 survey undertaken by the Pew Research Center reported that 76% of the Chinese population supports the policy.[8] The policy is enforced at the provincial level through fines that are imposed based on the income of the family and other factors. Population and Family Planning Commissions (Chinese: ) exist at every level

of government to raise awareness about the issue and carry out registration and inspection work. Despite this policy, there are still many citizens that continue to have more than one child.[9] In 2008, China's National Population and Family Planning Commission said that the policy will remain in place for at least another decade.[10] In 2010, it was announced that the majority of the citizens first subject to the policy are no longer of reproductive age and it has been speculated that many citizens simply disregard or violate the policy in more recent years. Still, the deputy director of the Commission stated that the policy would remain unaltered until at least 2015.[11] In March 2011, the Chinese government reviewed the policy and expressed considerations to allow for couples to have a second child.[12][13]

The "four-two-one" problem

As the first generation of law-enforced only children came of age for becoming parents themselves, one adult child was left with having to provide support for his or her two parents and four grandparents.[53][54] Called the "4-2-1 Problem", this leaves the older generations with increased chances of dependency on retirement funds or charity in order to receive support. If personal savings, pensions, or state welfare fail, most senior citizens would be left entirely dependent upon their very small family or neighbours for assistance. If, for any reason, the single child is unable to care for their older adult relatives, the oldest generations would face a lack of resources and necessities. In response to such an issue, certain provinces maintained that couples were allowed to have two children if both parents were only children themselves. As of 2009, all provinces in the nation adopted this new adaptation.[55][56]

Biological pest control

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The current scope of this article does not include composting techniques. For these see Composting: Destroying pathogens, seeds, or unwanted plants or Mulch: Mulching (composting) over unwanted plants. Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests (including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases) that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs. Biological control is defined as the reduction of pest populations by natural enemies and typically involves an active human role. Natural enemies of insect pests, also known as biological log control agents; and include predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. Biological control agents of plant diseases are most often referred to as antagonists. Biological control agents of weeds include herbivores and plant pathogens. Predators, such as birds, lady beetles and lacewings, are mainly free-living species that consume a large number of prey during their whole lifetime. Parasitoids are species whose immature develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing or fatally infecting the host. Most have a very narrow host range. Many species of wasps and some flies are parasitoids. Pathogens are disease-causing organisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They kill or debilitate their own host and are relatively specific. There are three basic types of biological control strategies; conservation, classical biological control, and augmentation.

Effects of biological control

[edit]Effects on native biodiversity

The cane toad, Bufo marinus

Biological control can potentially have positive and negative effects on biodiversity. Usually a biological control is introduced to an area to protect a native species from an invasive or exotic species that has moved into its area. The control is introduced to lessen the competition between native and introduced species. However, the introduced control does not always target only the intended species. It can also target native species.[1] When introducing a high biological control to a new area, a primary concern is the host- or prey-specificity of the control agent. Generalist feeders (control agents that are not restricted to a single species or a small range of species) often make poor biological control agents, and may become invasive species themselves. For this reason, potential biological control agents should be subject to extensive testing andquarantine before release into any new environment. If a species is introduced and attacks a native species, the biodiversity in that area can change dramatically. When one native species is removed from an area, it may have filled an essential ecological niche. When this niche is absent it may directly affect the entire ecosystem.
[citation needed]

Because they tend to be generalist feeders, vertebrate animals seldom make good biological control agents, and many of the classic cases of "biocontrol gone awry" involve vertebrates. For example, the cane toad, Bufo marinus, was introduced as a biological control and had significant negative impact on biodiversity. The cane toad was intentionally introduced toAustralia to control the introduced Frenchs Cane Beetle and the Greyback Cane Beetle. [2] When introduced, the cane toad thrived very well and did not only feed on cane beetles but other insects as well. The cane toad soon spread very rapidly, thus taking over native amphibian habitat. The introduction of the cane toad also brought foreign disease to native reptiles. This drastically reduced the population of native toads and frogs. The cane toad also exudes and can squirt poison from the parotid glands on their shoulders when threatened or handled.

This toxin contains a cocktail of chemicals that can kill animals that eat it. Freshwater crocodiles, goannas, tiger snakes, dingos and northern quolls have all died after eating cane toads, as have pet dogs (Cane toad, 2003). This example shows how a small misintroduced organism can alter the native biodiversity in a large ecosystem in a very expedient manner. A pyramid effect can take place if native species are reduced or eradicated. The domino effect keeps on going and can potentially exude on other bordering ecosystems until anequilibrium is reached.

General description of the book

The Population Bomb was written at the suggestion of David Brower the executive director of the environmentalist Sierra Club, and Ian Ballantineof Ballantine Books following various public appearances Ehrlich had made regarding population issues and their relation to the environment. Although the Ehrlichs collaborated on the book, the publisher insisted that a single author be credited, and also asked to
[1] change their preferred title: Population, Resources, and Environment. The title Population Bomb was

taken (with permission) from General William H. Draper, founder of the Population Crisis Committee and a pamphlet issued in 1954 by the Hugh Moore Fund. The Ehrlichs regret the choice of title, which they admit was a perfect choice from a marketing perspective, but think that "it led Paul to be miscategorized as solely focused on human numbers, despite our interest in all the factors affecting the human trajectory."[1] Early editions of The Population Bomb began with the statement: The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial [4] increase in the world death rate...